Greek Muslims

As Greek Muslims are called to a those Greeks, whose Christian ancestors had converted to Islam during the time of the Ottoman Empire. On the other is called so that those Greeks who converted to Islam in the modern age. Today Greek Muslims live mainly in Turkey, Greece and Cyprus.

For the conversion to Islam several reasons are cited, especially the poll tax ( jizya ). Muslims in the Ottoman Empire were exempt from certain taxes. Although the Ottomans generally granted freedom of religion throughout the empire and never forced by law to Christian conversion, you posted in Southeastern Europe numerous conversions to Islam. They were often caused by economic and socio-political aspirations. Christians saw in the conversion also access to new job opportunities, such as service in the Ottoman bureaucracy or the military (see also: Janissaries ). A targeted controlled by means of economic policy means religious reorientation of the Christian population can not be justified by the Ottoman archives.

When was the population exchange between Greece and Turkey under the Treaty of Lausanne, we ordered the terms Turk and Greek to only the particular religion, so that besides the Turks had to leave their home to numerous ethnic Greeks Islamic faith and settled in Turkey.

Furthermore, there are Muslims in Turkey, whose ancestors were Greeks from Asia Minor (eg Pontic Greeks who changed their religion ) and were therefore excluded from the population exchange.